It wasn’t until I opened the first page that I realized this novel was part of a series and I haven’t read any of the previous books. As much as I am a stickler for reading in order, I decided to just try this one novel on its own and make a judgement based off of that. So here is my review:
Flora Dane was a happy college student when she was kidnapped. For 472 days, she was subjected to rape and torture at the hands of her kidnapper, never knowing what would happen to her next. Miraculously, she managed to survive the ordeal and escape her kidnapper. 5 years after her gruesome experience, Flora Dane is trying to find her place in the real world, with help from FBI victims advocate, Samuel Keynes. But Flora isn’t the same girl she used to be. She’s obsessed with girls who have faced similar trials as her, girls who haven’t come home. And Flora is determined to find them all – and if she can’t bring them home, she’ll make sure justice is served to the people who hurt these innocents. But Flora may have stumbled onto something she cannot handle – and is forced to become a victim once more. Now, it is up to Boston detective D.D Warren and Samuel Keynes to put the pieces together and find Flora Dane all over again.
What I enjoyed the most about this novel was the character of Flora Dane and all of the hardships she has endured. She is a compelling protagonist to read about and she is more than just a victim. The author did a fantastic job in portraying her vulnerabilities and her strengths as a result of her ordeal. This novel was told in the voice of Flora as well as that of D.D. Warren, but I was definitely reading the story for Flora’s part. D.D. Warren’s character was okay. There was nothing special about her; she was not incredibly smart and she didn’t have a strong backstory. She also lacked emotion, and this became very apparent when D.D. was compared to Flora. In short, she was a passable detective. Overall, the story was interesting and I found myself compelled to read and find out what was going on – but I credit this to the character of Flora Dane and the way her part was portrayed rather than to D.D. Warren, who I believe is the main protagonist in the series. All in all, it’s a good thriller with a decent detective but a fabulous victim who is anything but that.
Happy reading ~